A sport where you can easily social distance See A5 TOOELETRANSCRIPT S T C BULLETIN S TUESDAY April 14, 2020 www.TooeleOnline.com Vol. 126 No. 91 $1.00 County makes UDOT’s 2020 top ten list twice Midvalley Highway and auxiliary I-80 lane make agency’s list CEILLY SUTTON to Courtney Samuel, senior eling to the Salt Lake Valley if STAFF WRITER communications manager for an incident or accident occurs The Utah Department of UDOT. on Interstate 80 or SR-36. Transportation is working on “Currently there are 45,000 Currently the ground where two major projects in Tooele cars daily on SR-36. We are the highway is going to be built County that are expected to be projecting once this phase of is unstable. completed within the next few the project is built, 20% of “The nature of the soil locat- years. traffic will shift off of SR-36. ed in this particular area is in The Midvalley Highway, This will ease congestion poor condition,” said Samuel. which is expected to be com- and improve travel times on “The ground is considered pleted by the end of 2021, will SR-36,” he said. wetlands due to the proximity CLAYTON DUNN/TTB PHOTO decrease traffic on state Route The highway will provide an Utah Department of Transportation contractors work on Midvally Highway exit on I-80 on Monday afternoon. 36 significantly, according alternative route for cars trav- SEE LIST PAGE A7 ® Unemployment benefit claims jump in March Utah to deliver federal $600 weekly unemployment COVID-19 bonus TIM GILLIE in March 2020, it looks like EDITOR the unemployment rate will Unemployment in Tooele climb when March numbers County dropped to near its are announced — largely due lowest level in three decades in to the COVID-19 pandemic, February 2020, but when the according to the DWS. March 2020 report is released The number of new claims data watchers can expect to filed for unemployment ben- HAPPY 70TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY! see a sharp rise. efits in Utah was 33,076 for The February 2020 unem- the week of March 29 to April PHOTOS CLAYTON DUNN ployment rate for Tooele 4, 2020. County was 2.6%, according to “This is a historic high,” Friends and neighbors organized the Department of Workforce said Kevin Burt, unemploy- a drive-by parade in lieu of a party Services. ment insurance division direc- to help Ray and Ilene Solomon of That comes close to the tor for the Utah Department 2.5% unemployment rate set of Workforce Services. “It’s Stansbury Park celebrate their 70th in March 2007, the lowest even higher than the previous anniversary on Monday afternoon. unemployment rate in Tooele weekly report at 28,560, and The Solomons are self-isolating at County found in data that goes it is over 2800% greater than home due to the COVID-19 pan- back as far as January 1990. the normal weekly average demic. Both Ray and Ilene will turn However, looking at the received by the Department of 90 later this year. number of new claims for unemployment benefits made SEE CLAIMS PAGE A7 ® SEE ANNIVERSARY PAGE A7 ® Tooele County Initial Unemployment Claims Four-week moving average 2019 2020 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 January February March April COVID19 UPDATE State says: wear mask, stay home, and get tested CEILLY SUTTON firmed cases of the virus, tion over time, according to guidelines have been moved themselves before arriving on two weeks, except for essential STAFF WRITER according to a report from the Amy Bate, spokesperson for up to yellow. This means that scene. business, was crucial to slow Tooele County Health health department. the Tooele County Health emergency medical responders Gov. Gary Herbert has the spread of the virus. Department officials met Among these cases, there Department will arrive on scene in extra extended his “stay safe, stay Herbert also said that any- Monday to discuss updates have been four hospitaliza- There are no reported personal protective equipment. home” directive until the end one going out in public should related to the spread of COVID- tions. deaths from the virus in Tooele The number of questions of April. wear a mask. 19 in Tooele County. Not all four of these patients County at this time, according asked by dispatch when a call In his statement extending According to the report from As of Monday, at 4 p.m., are still in the hospital. The to Bate. is placed will increase in order the directive Herbert said that Tooele County had 34 con- four cases are an accumula- Emergency medical service for first responders to prepare staying home during the next SEE COVID-19 PAGE A7 ® INSIDE BULLETIN BOARD B1 CLASSIFIEDS B4 County does MWMC OBITUARIES A6 drive-thru DMV recognizes their OPEN FORUM A4 See A2 heroes SPORTS A5 See A2 A2 TOOELE TRANSCRIPT BULLETIN TUESDAY April 14, 2020 Tooele County offers DMV services during pandemic Renewals are to be done online, non-renewal services available by drive-thru TIM GILLIE gov, or they can be mailed to “People don’t get out of EDITOR the Tooele County Treasurer their car,” said Jensen. “We While the COVID-19 pan- at 47 S. Main Street, Tooele, are all wearing masks and demic has the Tooele County Utah 84074. Mail in renew- making every effort to reduce Administration Building als must be accompanied by exposure to the virus.” closed to the public, except by a check made payable to the Jensen said his office is still appointment, Tooele County Utah State Tax Commission, processing registration appli- Treasurer Mike Jensen has or USTC. cations in batches from local figured a way to continue to “We didn’t know what kind dealerships. provide motor vehicle services of response we would get,” The hours for the DMV to county residents. Jensen said. “Based on what drive-thru service are Monday- Starting last week, Jensen we saw in Salt Lake County Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 opened up a drive through we prepared with the parking p.m. in the back parking lot of service for the Division of lot sectioned off for long lines. the County Building at 47 S. Motor Vehicle in the north- But we haven’t seen that.” Main Street in Tooele City. east parking lot of the County County employees stop cars The Division of Motor Building. as they come into the park- Vehicles, part of the Utah State The drive-thru service ing lot and give instructions. Tax Commission, does not pro- is for county residents for There are three stations where cess or handle driver licenses. non-renewal services, which people can pull up and hand Driver licenses are handled includes new titles, name their paperwork to a runner by the Driver License Division and address changes to titles, who takes the paperwork into of the Utah Department of impound releases, and other the building where it is pro- Public Safety. For information non-renewal services. cessed and then returns with on driver license issues go to Vehicle renewals can be the paperwork and hands it to dld.utah.gov. TIM GILLIE/TB PHOTO A Tooele County Treasurer’s office employee accepts paperwork from a Tooele County resident at the drive-thru completed online at dmv.utah. the driver. [email protected] DMV service in the northeast parking lot of county building on Monday morning. Your Local Community News. Tooele City looks at economic vitality Stay CEILLY SUTTON Continued growth is expect- because it addresses goals and ment, Tooele City will be able Along with this, the draft STAFF WRITER ed to result in a demand for objectives upon which they can to broaden its tax base and pro- calls for quality housing is a Informed. The Tooele City planning new housing development, develop better business deci- vide better employment oppor- “crucial component” to the commission discussed the eco- employment opportunities, sions and encourage economic tunities for its citizens. local economy and must be TOOELE RANSCRIPT nomic vitality element of the and commercial and industrial development, according to the According to a draft of revi- maintained. T city’s general plan during their development. planning commission. sions for the economic vitality The draft also includes a goal BULLETIN April 8 meeting at City Hall. As a result of growth, there The vitality element also element, redevelopment has of support for local businesses Subscribe The economic vitality ele- will be an increased demand for ensures citizens have access to become an important part of because they pay sales and 435-882-0050 ment of the general plan is land and building space, as well effective retail, and industrial the economic development of property tax base. being looked at because Tooele as workers, according to the services, along with employ- the City. The vitality draft said The economic vitality ele- City is growing. This trend is planning commission minutes. ment opportunities, according that the City should prevent ment will next be discussed by expected to continue over the The economic vitality ele- to city planners. decline in mature areas of the the City Council. Subscribe Today next decade. ment is important to the city By revising the vitality ele- City. [email protected] 435-882-0050 Something State scraps wireless travel declaration notice On Your the travel declaration is order. Each motorist is expect- Message boards will now relay website info to inbound drivers designed to help the state’s ed to fill out the declaration Mind? efforts to trace and mitigate form one time. TIM GILLIE But technical difficulties card with a QR code and link COVID-19.